Authoritative Deliberation

You're used to more… electrical matters. Wires, bulbs, switches and gates. That sort of stuff. Heavy duty tools, nails and bolts, that's for the folks in heavy industry. Well… there comes a time in every engineer's life where they have to go out of their comfort zone, you figure. Besides, you're not exactly spoilt for choice. The electrical storms took out most electrical technology, and the only remnants that are anywhere close by are currently… guarded by a gun-wielding zombie, so to say. So, here you stand, in the Bastion's impromptu workshop with a sheet of metal, a bunch of scrap material and a dream.

Fortunately, you're an Eirsasi. You've learned a thing or two during your travels.

Spare leather is formed into a set of handles, made a little more comfortable with some cloth and nailed to the sheet. The sheet itself is reinforced with a few spare plates in particularly worn places (after all, you did pull this sheet out of the ground around one of the patrol outposts) and modified with a viewing slit to keep the wielder's head behind cover. Working on this thing under the beating, humid summer heat is hellish, but the state of the Bastion is more important than one woman's discomfort. A couple of hours later, you have yourself one makeshift riot shield. It's… something. But something is better than nothing.

A couple of hours later, you stand over a little map of the infirmary next to Chris and Ormina. Enter here, clear there, move forward in this route checking both sides… you've gone over this plan three times now, with Chris pointing out angles as Ormina disinterestedly polishes her rifle. As you're just about to agree on finally going in, Nio walks over, boisterously complaining about the fence. You try and speak up, but Nio is riding a train with no interest in slowing down as more and more people appear. Gods, you don't have time for this! Thankfully, Chris speaks up to calm the situation. Yeah, he's essentially just saying what you said… but people listen to him, so… at least you can get a move on now.

…or so you thought. Turns out, there's a broken window at the front of the infirmary. Nio once again throws up a panic, asking very loudly about whether or not Lottie could have gotten out despite the frankly miniscule size of the window. Why on Earth did Chris agree to taking her along? You want to brush it off, get a move on and get into the infirmary before Lottie puts anyone else in danger… but once again, too many people have been attracted by Nio's frenetic yammering, so Chris forces you to conduct a sweep of the perimeter just to make sure. You begrudgingly agree, and surprise surprise, nobody got out. You pass by the window a good few times… enough to notice that, despite the blood smeared all over the window's jagged remains, there's no shards on the floor outside the window.

Your suspicions are doubly confirmed as you step inside, seeing a pile of blood-soaked glass shards on the floor.

No matter. You have a job to do. You and Chris take vanguard positions, holding the massive shield as you clear the rooms and corridors one by one. Nio and Ormina hold the rear… but that doesn't stop Nio from seeing ghosts in every shadowy corner. You clamour to get a move on and find Lottie, but it doesn't stop Chris from heeding her warnings and double-checking every room. He also starts… chatting about his wartime experiences? You feel a painful twinge of annoyance, but looking at his shaky smile next to you, you understand why. He's scared, just like Nio, just like you. Still… would it kill you to go a little fas-

That thought is quickly silenced by a loud gunshot reverberating through the corridor.

…

The final thing you see before the lights go out is Chris's horrified-looking face and blood dripping from Nio's heavily bandaged hand.

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